Missing toddler found in hole at nursery

The mother of an 18-month-old toddler who went missing for four hours while playing outside his nursery school was mightily relieved when her son was found, having fallen into a hole in the ground.

After a police search, the boy, Ali, was found by a member of staff from his nursery school. He had fallen down a one-metre deep hole, close to where he was last seen on the grounds of the nursery in Jönköping, southern Sweden.

The police, who used sniffer dogs in their search, admitted later that they had been too hasty in immediately searching a nearby forest instead of first concentrating on the last place the boy had been spotted.

Ali's mother, Tamam Sayed Hassan, was relieved that her son had been found safe and well. "I did not think it was true, I could not believe that this kind of thing could happen at pre-school," she told Swedish Radio. "The hours while he was away were a nightmare."

On Thursday, Ali stayed at home with his mum and dad.

"He has not received any physical injuries, nor psychological, I think. He slept well all night. It's over," said Sayed Hassan, who thanked everyone who was involved in looking for her son.